When Children Get to Vote

By BARBARA WHITAKER

Published: December 19, 2004

THE children's book author, illustrator and filmmaker Peter S?has won many awards. Among them are Caldecott honors for distinguished work on children's picture books and the so-called ''genius award'' of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, for extraordinary creative accomplishment in a field.

Recently, he added another honor to the list: the 2004 Washington Irving Children's Choice Book Award, given by the Westchester Library System and the Westchester Library Association to local authors and illustrators of children's books.

While decidedly more local in nature, to him, Mr. S?said, the Washington Irving award is as important as the others.

''This means more than monetary rewards or gold medals,'' said Mr. S? 55, who moved to Irvington in 2001. He lives next door to Sunnyside, the estate of Washington Irving, for whom the award is named. ''It means I can feel like I'm home here.''

The Washington Irving award has been given every other year since 1982 to honor children's book authors and illustrators who live in the county, and to motivate children to read, said Judith Rovenger, youth services consultant at the library system.

''I don't think that many people are sometimes aware of just how lucky we are in Westchester,'' Ms. Rovenger said. ''We have such a wealth of talent.''

A panel of public and school librarians select the candidates, drawing from books published within the last two years. The winners are then chosen by local children, who vote at public libraries or their schools.

In previous years, there were awards in seven categories, from picture books to young adult books. But this year, the honors went only to books for young readers, Ms. Rovenger said, so that the award would be distinct from one to be given in June.

This year the winners were Mr. S? in the author/illustrator category for ''Madlenka's Dog'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux); Alyssa Satin Capucilli, of Hastings-on-Hudson, in the author category for ''Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats'' (Margaret K. McElderry); and Susan Jeffers of Croton-on-Hudson, in the illustrator category for ''McDuff Saves the Day'' (Hyperion). The actual prize is a certificate and ''a lot of thanks,'' Ms. Rovenger said.

Mr. S?is from Czechoslovakia. He came to the United States in 1982 to create a film about the 1984 winter Olympics, but stayed after the Eastern Bloc boycotted the games.

''Madlenka's Dog'' is about a little girl's imaginary dog. The story, Mr. S?said, was inspired by the desire of his daughter, Madeleine, to own a dog. It follows an earlier book, ''Madlenka,'' which examined the world of ethnic cultures in a one-block area visited by Madeleine when the family lived in the New York neighborhood of Soho.

Mr. S? who has written and illustrated over 20 books and illustrated at least 38 more, attributed his winning the Washington Irving award to his 10-year-old son, Matej. The boy, Mr. S?said, had an effective get-out-the-vote operation among his friends.

Ms. Capucilli, 47, is a professional dancer who began writing children's books about 10 years ago. She said her winning book was inspired by her son's work at a home for troubled boys where the boys would not cooperate with each other.

''He just wished he could create this perfect world where everyone could share and everyone could play together,'' Ms. Capucilli said. ''I think that the book is a response to that.''

In ''Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats,'' Mrs. McTats opens her home to everyone and everything, including 25 cats and one puppy.

Ms. Capucilli has written about 35 books, including several ''Biscuit'' books about a yellow puppy.

Ms. Jeffers, 62, won a Caldecott honors award in 1974. Her Washington Irving winning book continues the adventures of McDuff, a West Highland white terrier that Ms. Jeffers and the writer Rosemary Wells, a multiple winner of the Washington Irving award, have chronicled in nine books published since 1997.

In ''McDuff Saves the Day,'' the dog searches for food after an army of ants devours the picnic planned for Fred, Lucy and the baby. He meets up with Mr. DiMaggio who ends up sharing his feast with McDuff's family.

Ms. Jeffers, who has a lifelong love of animals, and Ms. Wells met some 30 years ago in the children's book art department of the Macmillan publishing company. They were looking for a character to feature, and their agent suggested they consider glancing down at their feet where their dogs -- both women own West Highland white terriers -- were frolicking.

''We decided to pin a story on something we care very much about,'' Ms. Jeffers said. ''It has to start there.''

Photos: Peter Sís, Alyssa Satin Capucilli, top right, and Susan Jeffers are winners of the 2004 Washington Irving Children's Choice Book Award, given by the Westchester Library System and the Westchester Library Association. (Photo by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing); (Photo by Hyperion Books for Children); (Photo by Andrea Mohin/The New York Times)